Tony Dixon G4CJC

Tony's 10 Metre Band Report
18 March, 2009

A most excellent weekend for lots of the world except the UK! TN5SN (Congo) much sort after on Thursday, 6W1SJ (Senegal) and TO2T (Guadeloupe) on Saturday with FM1FV (Martinique) and my old (young) friend VR2CB Carl in Hong Kong on Sunday.

Most popular DX
(three or more contacts, any mode)

Monday: IK4TVP, EA6TS, LW9DNK, IZ8FDG, KD4ESV, IK0IOL, 9W2RZL.

Tuesday: S21RC, UN3GX, W6PC, IZ8FDG, BA7IO, AJ4MW.

Wednesday: IK2CIO, V51AS, IZ5DKJ, S21RC, IK4TVP, LW3EX, KE4WBO, IZ8FDG, LY2BAW.

Thursday: TN5SN, C56YK, LU5FC, 5B4AHJ, 9W2RZL, KE4WBO, KK6D, KQ6PK, LW3EX, N3GNW, PU1ARE, WB7BBI, YV6BTF, K8NDB/B.

Friday: LW3EX, V63PR, HR1/K2LCT, V51RU, HR1/K2L, PY2XC, VK4CQ, W5QEP.

Saturday: 6W1SJ, TO2T, AG5Z, P49MR, VE3FGU, CE5VKK, TI2GBY, TN5SN, VR2CB, CE6JOE, CP4BT, LU3HFA, PY2CX, PY2XC, 7Q7BP, CA6BMF, HP1AVS, KH7HI, NC4SW/B, PU2KDI, PU3CAL, PU5OGE, PY2ADR, V51YJ, V63PR, XE2HQI, DJ7KG, HR1/K2L, HR1/K2LCT, K4ESA, K5AR, KC9LYP, KH6CW, KI4TZU, LU7VRO, LW3EX, N6RDX, PP5JAK, PU2BFG, PU2KLM, PU2TNG, PU2UJG, PY1ZV, PY2DS, PY2SRB, VK4FTDX, W2RJO, W4IX, WE5I, WI4USA, W6PC/4/B, K5GJR/B, N4HLF/B, K5AB/B.

Sunday: FM1FV, VR2CB, YV5EAH, VP8KF, PY2DN, HV0A, LU1DCB, PU5OGE, CX8DS, LU3JVO, 8P6SL, 9W6SUE, CE5VKK, HK2SM, NP3CW, CE2WZ, KP4BD, LW3EX, PU2KLM, PY2CX, PY2XC, VK9AA, YV5JF, 9M6YBG, 9W2RZL, A61AB, EA8CDI, HS0ZIQ, LU2VCD, LU8ECS, VK5MRD, WP4WV, YC9MDX, FK8CP, LU1QS, PU2UEO, PY3OPP, RZ6AZZ, TG9AWM, TO2T, YV6BXN, 9W2VVH, DJ1AA, HL2KXT, HL5LKI, JF1WQC, JG2TKH, JH6QIL, JH7RTQ, K4ESA, K4KAL, K4WZ, K8LEE, LU7VRO, N3RRR, N4YDU, N8LGL, PU1KGG, PU2BFG, PU2UJG, PU2WPE, PY2LSM, PY2MR, VK4FTDX, W4DTA, W4LT, WD4IXD, XE1FAS, XE1SGW, XE3ISS, YV4BCD, YY5CWM.

The keen eyed Graham, WE5I, spotted that last week I foolishly put in the same map for Saturday and Sunday. I cannot even claim it was a mistake by the Editor, no ‘twas mine. Here is the correct map for Saturday. Still mainly N - S America.

Last Saturday's missing map

Graham worked TI2GBY 5/9, HP1AVS 5/5, CE6JOE 5/9 on Saturday and comments, “Midday Saturday the band opened to the east and I made nine QSOs with stations in North Carolina, Virginia, Tennessee, Georgia, Alabama and Mississippi from here in Oklahoma. Late afternoon brought a few strong signals out of Central and South America. I logged Panama, Costa Rica and Chile. All QSOs were made using 25 watts to a 38 inch (~1 meter) diameter Magnetic Loop antenna.”
If my memory serves me right Carl, VR2CB, also has the use of a similar magnetic loop.

Big Dave, VK5MRD is back.

Friday 13/03/2009. Stations heard were:- JA2IGY/b, JR0YAN/b, JH1BXH, KH6WO/b, ZL2MHF/b, ZL3TEN/b, VK2APG via scatter, VK4RTL/b, VK4CQ, VK6RBP/b, VK7ZE via back scatter and VK8VF/b. Stations worked were:- JA2FBC, JA4GXX, JA1FVJ, JP1DJV, JA6CDC, JA5DBE, JA6DSG, JE1TYV, JA1VGV, JS1KQQ, JH3DMQ, JA3DAY, JE1SDO and VK8ZWM.

“I have been very busy of late and have not had much of a chance to get near the radio. I know conditions have not been the best so maybe I have not missed out on much but it sure was nice to be around today to have worked this good opening between VK and JA. The Hawaiian beacon was also strong but there was no sign of life from Hawaii on 10m. Some action on 11m though!”

Sunday 15/03/2009. Stations heard were:- A61AB, 9W6SUE, BD4CZX, JA2IGY/b, JR0YAN/b, ZL2MHF/b, ZL3TEN/b, VK4FTDX, VK4RTL/b and VK8VF/b. Stations worked were:- YC9MDX, BV4VT, VR2CB and VR2VBV. “ Also quite a few stations from Japan, Sumatra and Vietnam on 15m but then that’s a story for another band report. Off to work we go now!”

VR2CB’s thoughts on his return,
“Congrats on the second grandchild! I was only in HK over the weekend and will return next weekend then away for two months. Hope you get the chance to visit HK in 2009. And I will report on next weekend's activity; I don't have my log with me to report on this last weekend - but it was a great weekend for inter Asian working!”

It just so happens that I have collected some info on Carl’s contacts and on Sunday he worked YC6NE,,9W2VVH, VK5MRD, VK4FTDX, JH7RTQ, HL5LKI, JF1TEU, HS0ZIQ, HL2KXT, JH7RTQ, JA1QGT, VK4FTDX, HS0ZIQ, JA1DEQ, JA6VQA and heard VK8VF/B. Now this may not be everything he worked but it’s still quite a good haul. He also managed a couple BPSK31 contacts on 10MHz (not 10m) but we won’t mention them.

Contests: Information from WA7BNM Contest Calendar

Upcoming activity (though not guaranteed to be on 10m). Information from DXwatch.com and 425DXnews

Mohamad, HZ1MD has announced that he, along with Firas/HZ1FS and Sulaiman/7Z1SJ, will be active as HZ1FS/p from the Red Sea Coast South/ Jizan Province group, IOTA AS-192 (new one) on 19-23 March (depending on the living conditions on the island, they might extend their stay). They plan to have three stations "with many antennas", including a Spiderbeam for 20, 15 and 10 metres, and to operate mainly SSB, with some digital modes.

Sun: Blank again.

Space shuttle Discovery docked to the International Space Station on March 17th at 5:20 p.m. EDT.

Just before the two spaceships joined, Quintus Oostendorp watched them fly side-by-side over his backyard in the Netherlands.

Now that Discovery is docked, construction can begin. The shuttle is delivering a new set of solar arrays to the station. They will be bolted in place on March 19th and unfurled on March 22nd. The arrays are so large, you can actually see them through backyard telescopes. The trick is knowing when to look.

The Editor, G4TUT actually managed to get on the air, but not from his base QTH. Instead we had the pleasure of his dulcet tones from Hullbridge in Essex ('TUT's home village), via a 70cms repeater. Still it’s a start. Last heard, he was being pursued by a flock of River Crouch swans who were after his fish paste sarnies.

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